Support for democracy and human rights (D/HR) has played an increasingly important role in Sidas co-operation with developing countries ever since the early 1990s. Yet there is a considerable lack of reliable information on the impact of the Agency's D/HR initiatives.

The background to the study is that Sida, in particular the Stockholm Office, rarely has easy access to relevant and useful data, when preparing special monitoring and evaluation initiatives, and sometimes even when managing individual programmes.

Sida's "Action Programme to Promote Sustainable Livelihoods for the Poor and to Combat Poverty" states that every strategy document and project proposal should explain how the activities proposed are designed to reduce poverty, and that evaluations always should consider impact on poverty.
ISSN: 1402-215X
Sida studies in Evaluation 00/2

Programme aid (PA) is aid not linked to any specific project, but which is conditional upon policy changes by the recipient. PA thus has two inputs: funds and policy dialogue. How are these inputs intended to achieve growth and poverty reduction?

The aim of this review is to assess how and to what extent environmental aspects have been considered in the different stages i.e. planning, implementation and follow-up of credit-financed projects initiated in the time frame 1989-1994.

This report Forms part of the study "Using the Evaluation Tool", initiated by Sida's Department for Evaluation and Internal Audit. The purpose of the study is to analyse the evaluation process as it currently works in Swedish development co operation.